Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is a global initiative that fosters economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs around the world with a business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital.

Portraits of 10,000 Women

What changes when a woman leads a business? Everything. Learn more about the experiences of 10,000 Women graduates around the world. Read More

IFC Perspectives Magazine Interview with Lloyd Blankfein

Evolution of the Program

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women was founded on the understanding that investing in women entrepreneurs leads to economic growth and stronger communities. By providing a practical business education, mentoring and networking opportunities, and access to capital, 10,000 Women has reached thousands of women from over 56 countries to date. Graduates from this program report immediate and sustained business growth.

10,000 +

women

56

countries

30 +

world leading business schools

100

academic and non profit partners

Grounded in research and direct anecdotes from our alumni, we recognized that many women entrepreneurs face significant obstacles in accessing the capital needed to grow their businesses. In 2014, we partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organization of the World Bank, to create the first global finance facility dedicated to women entrepreneurs – the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Fund (WEOF). The facility is built to help address the growing credit gap for female business owners. WEOF has reached $1 billion in commitments and will continue to grow, surpassing an initial target of $600 million.

50,000

women entrepreneurs reached to date

26

emerging markets

$ 1B

10,000 Women is now leveraging technology to create a new online learning experience to support female entrepreneurs in more corners of the world through the Coursera platform. By digitizing this free course that has been built to meet the needs of women business owners in developing markets, 10,000 Women is democratizing access to business education on a global scale.

10,000 Women on Coursera is designed specifically with a focus on female entrepreneurs around the world. This course was designed in partnership with the University of Leeds, and with academic input from Babson College.

This course will provide focused and tailored exercises in an introductory module where participants will assess the strengths and weaknesses of their business and themselves as business leaders.

The full course will review strategies to identify, optimize, and execute growth opportunities. By the end of the course, learners will have a Business Growth Plan to follow as they continue to grow and evolve their businesses.

Each cohort of scholars will go through the online course together, providing a networking and mutual-mentoring opportunity for the participants.

Participants can communicate with one another through discussion forums and interactive exercises, enabling them to gain peer feedback and create e a sense of community with fellow entrepreneurs.

Meet Kalyani

Profession:Manufacturer of Organic Ayurvedic personal care products

Business:Ancient Living

Country:India

Partner College:Indian School of Business

“Successful business is all about integrity and aiming to make a positive social impact. If we believe in something, we need to strive to achieve it without compromising on our ethical values. If we do that, growth will follow.”